UNION    LEAGUE  CLUB. 


REPORT 

OF 

COMMITTEK  ON  POLITICAL  REFORM 


ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  THE 

Water  Supply  and  Distribution  of  the  City, 

INCLUDING  THE  QUESTION  OF 

Removing  the  Murray  Hill  Reservoir 

AND  THE 


RESOLUTIONS  OF  THE  CLUB  THEREON  AND  IN  FAVOR  OF 
AN  ACT  FOR  A  COMMISSION  TO  REPORT  ON  THESE 
QUESTIONS-TO  THE  NEXT  LEGISLATURE. 


Ilefo  york: 

PRINTED  BY  MEMBERS  OF  THE  CLUB. 
1880. 


Explanation  of  tie  Maps,  etc.,  Aiieiei 


No.  1.  Profile  of  the  city  below  Ninetieth  Street,  showing  position 
of  Aqueduct  and  old  Receiving  Reservoir  in  Central  Park,  top  water- 
line  in  both,  when  full,  119  feet  above  mean  tide,  and  also  of  Murray 
Hill  Distributing  Reservoir,  top  water-line  when  full,  114  feet  10  inches 
above  mean  tide,  with  a  line  drawn  from  it  over  the  buildings  in  the  city 
as  they  were  in  1843,  showing  that  the  water  from  this  Distributing  Res- 
ervoir would  flow  upon  their  roofs.  (From  Schramke's  work  on  the 
Croton.) 

'  No.  2.  Map  of  the  city  showing  the  seven  mains  proceeding  from 
the  Central  Park  Receiving  Reservoirs,  and  how  six  of  them  at  Forty- 
second  Street  are,  by  a  cross  main,  united  with  the  Murray  Hill  Dis- 
tributing Reservoir ;  also  their  union  helow  it  by  another  cross-main,  so 
as  to  have  one  system  for  all  that  portion  of  the  city  below  the  Reser- 
voir, and  that  the  combined  pressure  may  be  directed  to  any  part  of  the 
city  below,  where  required  by  emergencies. 

Xo.  8.  Isometrical  drawing  of  the  Murray  Hill  Distributing  Reser- 
voir taken  from  Tower's  work,  showing  that  the  structure  is  not  offen- 
sive to  the  eye,  and  may  be  made  ornamental  with  vines.  Its  water 
may  be  covered  and  a  park  thus  formed  above. 

No.  4.  Plan  of  interior  of  Murray  Hill  Distributing  Reservoir  with 
the  two  pipes  of  thirty-sis  inches  diameter  each,  now  entering  'it  at 
Forty-second  Street  and  leaving  it  at  Fortieth  Street,  also  the  third  pipe 
intended  for  an  influent  pipe  by  Mr.  Jarvis.  The  double  walls  prevent 
any  leak  from  extending' to  the  outside  wall.  The  arches  are  to  permit 
persons  to  pass  between  both  walls  and  around  the  interior  wall,  to  de- 
lect and  prevent  leaks.    It  does  not  leak  and  is  perfect  in  all  respects. 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


No.  1. 


1 

Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2013 

http://archive.org/details/reportofcommitteOOunio_0 


No.  3. 


No.  <±. 


REPORT 

OF 

Committee  on  Political  Reform. 


The  4th  §  of  the  Articles  of  Association  makes  it  the 
duty  of  the  Club  to  promote  reform  in  our  State  and  Munici- 
pal affairs,  and  by  the  14th  §  of  the  By-Laws  the  41  general 
charge  of  all  matters  relating  to"  this  duty  is  conferred  on  the 
Committee  of  Political  Reform. 

The  Committee,  in  view  of  the  numerous  and  very  important 
matters  which  are  up  for  legislative  and  municipal  action,  con- 
nected with  our  water  supply  and  distribution,  have  deter- 
mined, after  careful  deliberation,  to  present  the  whole  subject 
to  the  Club  in  order  that  necessary  reforms  may  be  accom- 
plished. 

Those  matters  are  the  following  ;  and  the  question  for  the 
Club  to  decide  is  this  ;  Whether  the  whole  of  them  or  part  of 
them  should  be  committed  to  a  commission  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate,  as 
was  done  when  the  introduction  of  the  Croton  was  projected  in 
1833-34  ;  or  whether  they  shall  be  allowed  to  run  their  chances 
in  the  Legislature  and  be  severally  passed  upon  as  interest  in 
behalf  of  each  may  be  exerted.  A  bill  for  the  creation  of  such  a 
commission  was  passed  in  the  Assembly  last  winter,  but  was 
not  reached  in  the  Senate.  A  bill  of  like  character  has  been 
introduced  into  the  Assembly  at  the  present  Session. 

Enumeration  of  subjects  to  be  acted  upon  by  a  commission  : 
1  st.  The  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  of  this  city,  Allan 
Campbell,  Esq.,  is  now  engaged  in  acquiring  title  to  lands 
for  the  construction  of  an  aqueduct  from  the  Bronx  and  By- 
ram  Rivers  to  the  city  of  New  York,  at  the  estimated  cost  of 
$3,000,000. 


2d.  Surveys  have  been  made  for  an  additional  aqueduct  of 
nearly  forty  miles  in  length,  from  the  Croton  Valley  to  the  city 
of  New  York,  to  cost,  including  the  necessary  reservoirs  and 
distributing  pipes,  as  stated  in  the  report  of  Commissioner 
Campbell  for  August  12th,  1876,  $15,000,000  to  $20,000,000. 
By  the  report  of  November  12th,  1876,  at  not  less  than  $20,- 
000,000.  In  the  report  of  August,  1879,  the  cost  of  the  aque- 
duct, including  two  new  storage  reservoirs,  is  stated  at  only 
$12,000,000. 

But  as  Mr.  Campbell,  in  his  report  for  the  second  quarter 
of  1878,  stated  the  cost  of  our  water  system,  including  aque- 
ducts, pipes,  structures,  maintenance,  and  repairs,  at  nearly  ' 
$36,000,000,  and  the  new  aqueduct  from  the  Croton  is  to  be  on 
a  line  thirty  feet  higher  than  that  of  the  present  structure,  and 
one  half  larger,  the  estimate  of  $12,000,000,  now  that  work, 
labor,  and  materials  have  undergone  a  recent  large  advance, 
must  be  regarded  as  exceedingly  moderate. 

3d.  As  a  feeder  to  this  new  and  enlarged  aqueduct  from  the 
Croton,  when  it  shall  be  built,  a  survey  has  been  made  for  a 
canal  to  connect  the  waters  of  the  Housatonic  River  in  Con- 
necticut with  the  east  branch  of  the  Croton,  and  thus  supple- 
ment the  latter  with  100,000,000  gallons  daily.  The  cost  of 
this  work  exclusive  of  water  rights  is  estimated  at  $2,500,000. 

Of  these  three  works — the  aqueduct  from  the  Bronx  and  By- 
ram  Rivers,  the  aqueduct  from  the  Croton  Valley,  and  the  feeder 
from  the  Housatonic,  only  one  has  been  commenced — that 
from  the  Bronx  and  Byram  ;  but  there  is  the  same  authority  for 
the  si-nultaneous  commencement  of  the  whole  of  them  as  for 
any  one.    It  was  obtained  in  this  wise  : — 

An  act  was  passed  on  the  16th  of  last  June,  a  few  days  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  Session  (Chap.  516),  amending  the  title 
and  the  repealing  clause  of  an  act  passed  in  1877  (Chap.  445). 
By  this  expedient  an  act  was  revived,  passed  in  187 1  (Chap. 
56),  which  authorized  the  construction  of  aqueducts,  reservoirs, 
canals,  etc.,  and  another  act  (Chap.  328)  was  also  revived 
limiting  the  expenditure  to  $1,000,000  in  any  one  year. 

The  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  states  that  these  acts,  and 
Chap.  476  of  the  Laws  of  1875,  authorize  him  to  expend 
such  sums  as  he  may  deem  necessary  for  increasing  the  water 
supply  not  exceeding  $1,000,000  in  any  one  year,  and  he  may 
go  on  with  this  until  all  these  works^are  completed.    The  time 


5 


required  for  building  the  aqueduct  from  the  Bronx,  "might," 
he  says,  "  be  somewhat  shortened  if  the  limit  of  £1,000,000 
per  annum  could  be  exceeded."  Authority  for  this  will 
probably  be  asked  for. 

In  addition  to  this,  authority  was  granted  to  the  Commis- 
sioner, by  Chap.  381  of  the  Laws  of  1879,  to  extend  the  distri- 
bution of  water  over  the  city  and  expend  in  so  doing  not  exceed- 
ing $250,000  per  annum,  depending  on  the  assent  of  the  Board 
of  Apportionment,  which  has  been  given,  and  that  of  the  Com- 
mon Council.  By  Chap.  4S0  of  the  Laws  of  1879  an  expenditure 
of  £12,500  per  annum  may  be  made  by  him  for  taking  water  from 
the  Yonkers  Water  Works  and  carrying  it  into  the  new  wards. 

For  repairs  of  aqueduct,  ordinary  and  extraordinary,  £294,- 
000  was  granted  by  the  Board  of  Apportionment.  These  ex- 
penditures amount  in  the  aggregate  to  over  £1,500,000  per 
year. 

The  principal  act  revived  by  thus  amending  the  title  and  re- 
pealing clause  of  the  act  of  1877  is  the  famous  Tweed  act 
passed  in  1871  for  the  construction  of  aqueducts,  reservoirs,  etc. 
The  Legislature,  in  1875,  in  view  of  the  extraordinary  powers 
conferred,  provided  by  Chap.  477  that  they  should  not  be 
exercised  except  with  the  concurrence  of  the  Common  Council 
and  the  Mayor.  The  act  of  1877,  Chap.  445,  limited  the 
power  to  raise  money  under  it  to  aqueducts,  etc.,  then  in  the 
course  of  construction,  and  repealed  all  acts  inconsistent  with 
it.  This  repealing  clause,  by  the  amendment  to  it  of  last 
June,  already  referred  to,  was  made  to  revive  the  act  of  187 1 
so  as  to  sweep  away  any  control  of  the  Common  Council  and 
annul  the  provision  that  the  power  to  raise  money  should  be 
limited  to  aqueducts,  etc.,  then  in  the  course  of  construction  ! 
No  citizen  of  New  York,  probably,  interested  in  discreet  legis- 
lation, knew  that  the  construction  of  an  aqueduct  or  aqueducts 
was  asked  for  or  granted  by  this  device  or  any  other,  and  it  is 
not  probable  that  the  Legislature  understood  the  design  of  this 
legislation. 

Its  immature  character  may  be  judged  of  from  the  fact  that 
the  head-waters  of  the  Byram  River,  a  short  distance  from  its 
entrance  into  Connecticut  (through  which  State  it  passes  until 
it  becomes  the  boundary),  are  to  be  cut  off  by  Mr.  Campbell 
and  diverted  to  New  York  without  the  consent  of  Connecticut  ; 
which  may  restrain  the  exercise  of  the  power.    It  is  a  remarka- 


6 


ble  feature  of  this  scheme  that  while  notice  of  the  bill  author- 
izing the  expenditure  of  $250,000  was  communicated  in  the 
report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Works,  no  mention  what- 
ever was  thus  made  of  the  pendency  of  the  bill  for  the  large 
expenditure  of  $1,000,000  per  annum  (without  limit  of  time) 
for  constructing  aqueducts,  reservoirs,  etc. 

So  far  as  concerns  the  feeder  from  the  Housatonic,  it  ap- 
pears by  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Health  for  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  that  there  are  over  sixty  mills  on  the  head-waters 
of  the  Housatonic  in  that  State,  chiefly  woollen,  paper,  and 
cotton  mills,  which  pour  the  poison  of  their  refuse  and  that  of 
the  population  into  the  stream.  It  is  mentioned  also  that  a 
son  of  one  of  the  professors  of  a  college  in  this  city,  from 
bathing  in  the  river  at  Stockbridge,  contracted  a  skin  disease 
from  the  dyes  of  these  mills  which  he  encountered. 

The  Valley  of  the  Croton,  on  the  contrary,  has  no  mills  of 
this  description  within  it,  and  its  waters  are  free  from  defile- 
ment, and  should  be  maintained  in  that  condition.  The  intro- 
duction into  it  of  water  from  the  Housatonic  not  only  would  poi- 
son it  but  is  wholly  unnecessary.  A  distinguished  late  member  of 
this  Club,  Mr.  Alfred  W.  Craven,  as  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Cro- 
ton, made  a  survey  of  the  valley  which  consists  of  338  square 
miles,  and  laid  down  on  his  map  fifteen  places  at  which  storage 
reservoirs  could  be  constructed.  Two  of  them  have  already  been 
constructed  in  order  to  supply  the  city  in  a  season  of  drought, 
so  that,  added  to  the  minimum  flow  in  the  summer,  sufficient 
water  to  supply  the  present  aqueduct  may  be  furnished.  This 
object  is  nearly,  if  not  quite,  accomplished  by  two  of  the  fif- 
teen thus  located.  Should  a  new  aqueduct  be  built,  all  au- 
thorities agree  in  stating  that  by  constructing  three  or  more 
capacious  storage  reservoirs  abundant  water  for  it  could  be 
furnished.  The  water  pouring  over  the  Croton  dam  for  nine 
months  of  the  year,  and  wasted  into  the  Hudson  River,  would 
more  than  supply  the  new  aqueduct  for  that  time,  and  the 
storage  referred  to  would  fill  it  in  the  summer. 

4th.  The  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  complained  in  August 
last  that  the  Board  of  Apportionment  of  the  city  refused  to  ap- 
propriate a  sufficient  sum  to  enable  him  to  repair  the  aqueduct. 
The  appropriations  for  1880  have  since  been  made.  Eight 
thousand  feet  have  been  repaired.  The  quantity  needing  repair 
during  this  year  is  14,000  lineal  feet,  and  during  1881,  22,000. 
Of  these,  4000,  he  says,  should  receive  immediate  attention. 


7 


The  parts  thus  requiring  repair  are  where  a  stream  or  ravine  is 
crossed,  and  there  are  125  of  such  places.  In  all  of  them  the 
aqueduct,  which  is  of  rigid  masonry  rests*  on  rubble-stone  foun- 
dations, built  up  without  mortar,  varying  from  100  to  more  than 
1000  feet  in  length,  and  from  10  to  nearly  40  feet  in  height. 
This  rubble  foundation  has  not  in  all  cases  proved  sufficient 
to  sustain  the  aqueduct. 

Mr.  Benjamin  S.  Church,  a  member  of  this  Club,  is  the  en- 
gineer in  charge  of  these  repairs,  and  he  thus  referred  to  them, 
in  ]4M^j4sy6,  in  his  address,  published  by  the  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers.  Mr.  Campbell,  just  about  this  time,  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  his  office  as  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  : 

"  In  some  places  these  foundations  have  settled  and  dis- 
turbed the  even  bed  of  support  of  the  aqueduct,  especially  as 
the  tendency  of  this  settling  is  to  spread  the  wall  ;  conse- 
quently, on  all  these  embankments  between  Croton  dam  and 
the  city,  the  aqueduct  has  split  longitudinally  through  top  and 
bottom,  being  torn  asunder  by  the  above-mentioned  forces, 
causing  leaks  of  a  more  or  less  serious  nature.  Some  of  these 
leaks  during  a  sudden  and  severe  change  of  weather  become  so 
alarming  as  to  make  it  necessary  to  shut  off  the  water  at  Cro- 
ton dam  and  empty  the  aqueduct  for  repairs,  which  can  be 
made  only  inside."  After  describing  the  character  of  the  re- 
pairs, he  adds  :  "A  thorough  renewal  of  the  broken  parts 
would,  however,  require  a  longer  stoppage  of  the  water  supply 
than  the  city  storage  now  allows  ;  therefore  repairs  heretofore 
made,  although  the  best  that  conditions  permitted,  have  been 
temporary  and  imperfect." 

Mr.  John  B.  Jervis,  who  constructed  the  work,  urged,  in 
what  was  regarded  as  his  farewell  address,  that  the  water  in 
the  aqueduct  should  be  turned  from  it  in  the  spring  and  fall  of 
every  year  for  the  purpose  of  making  inside  repairs  ;  but  the 
fall  of  1878,  and  the  spring  and  fall  of  1879,  nad  to  be  passed 
without  making  them,  owing  to  the  want  of  a  sufficient  head 
of  water  in  the  city  reservoirs  to  permit  it  with  safety. 

Early  in  January  of  last  year  the  Central  Park  Reservoir 
contained  29  feet,  but  the  quantity  was  reduced  to  19  feet, 
owing  principally  to  the  cold  weather,  and  to  the  necessity  of 
letting  the  water  run  in  houses  to  prevent  freezing  in  the  pipes. 

The  Commissioner  says  :  11  When  the  water  of  the  aqueduct 
is  drawn  off,  the  cracks  are  repaired  from  the  inside,  large 


8 


forces  of  men  being  employed  night  and  day  in  this  work  and 
in  general  repairs,  and  cleaning  the  aqueduct  for  about  seventy- 
two  hours,  which  is  as  long  as  the  water  supply  can  be  shut 
off  without  too  great  a  draught  on  the  Central  Park  Reservoir, 
and  even  this  suspension  reduces  the  level  of  that  reservoir 
about  8  feet." 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  if  a  break  of  any  great  magnitude 
should  occur,  the  storage  capacity  in  the  city  might  be  far  from 
sufficient  to  permit  the  work  of  reparation  or  reconstruction 
before  a  water  famine  would  ensue.  *\x 

It  is  well  to  look  squarely  in  the  face  the  effect  of  being  thus 
deprived  of  the  Croton.  All  trade  and  industry  would  stop, 
and  the  city  be  depopulated.  It  would  be  exposed  to  pillage, 
and  should  a  fire  then  occur,  it  would  be  disastrous. 

5th.  On  the  subject  of  waste  of  water  in  the  city  the  matter 
stands  thus  : 

For  many  years  after  the  introduction  of  the  Croton,  the  area 
or  size  of  the  aqueduct  was  greater  than  that  of  all  the  taps 
combined,  and  consequently  but  little  trouble  arose  from  the 
waste  of  water  ;  but  the  size  or  area  of  the  aqueduct  being  but 
53to*o"  square  feet,  and  that  of  the  taps  now  over  160  square 
feet,  it  is  easy  to  run  off  through  160  square  feet  what  may 
be  brought  in  through  a  conduit  of  only  54.  The  faucets  are 
in  the  hands  of  the  most  thriftless  part  of  the  community,  and 
they  commit  waste  with  impunity,  especially  in  the  winter.  By  • 
means  of  it  the  head  is  lowered  in  houses,  so  that  sewer  gas 
penetrates  them  and  the  danger  from  fires  is  increased. 

Humber,  in  his  valuable  work  on  water  supply,  says  : 
"  The  effective  pressure  should  be  such  that  the  highest 
stories  in  the  most  distant  parts  may  be  supplied,  and,  further, 
that  the  roofs  may  be  commanded  Jpy  jets  from  the  mains  with- 
out the  assistance  of  fire-engines." 

Tried  by  this  test,  the  water  system  of  the  city  is  practically 
a  failure.  To  remedy  this,  waste  must  be  stopped  or  more 
water  introduced  ;  but  if  more  shall  be  introduced  and  no  check 
applied  to  its  use,  the  additional  quantity  will  also  be  wasted, 
if  there  is  power  to  do  so. 

The  experiments  to  test  this  in  England  show  that  285 
gallons  per  head  per  diem  were  used  for  a  whole  year,  when 
water  was  delivered  under  pressure  and  there  were  no  meters 
— this  is  three  times  the  quantity  of  water  per  head  per  diem 


9 


brought  in  by  our  aqueduct — and  the  conclusion  has  been  de- 
duced from  this,  and  similar  experiments,  that  wherever  water 
is  received  in  large  cities  under  pressure,  and  there  is  power 
without  restraint  to  exhaust.it,  it  will  be  exhausted. 

Mr.  Denton,  in  one  of  his  valuable  lectures  before  the 
School  of  Military  Engineering,  at  Chatham,  in  England,  says 
that  waste  exists  always  where  there  is  a  want  of  effective  con- 
trol and  proper  appliances.  Our  water  system  suffers  from 
both  of  these  causes.  The  plumbing  is  defective,  and  it  is 
placed  in  positions  which  expose  its  contents  to  frost,  and  there 
is  but  partial  control  over  the  waste. 

In  1870  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  meters  to  be  applied 
to  all  buildings,  etc.,  except  offices,  tenement-houses,  and 
dwelling-houses,  but  little  has  been  done  under  it  until  recently. 
Within  a  few  months  meters  have  been  applied  to  hotels,  and 
their  consumption  of  water  has  been  reduced  to  one  third  of 
what  it  was.  The  meter  is  now  being  applied  to  livery  stables, 
and  the  saving  there  will  be  immensely  greater.  But  the  chief 
waste  in  the  water  is  in  the  houses  not  named  in  the  list  of 
those  which  may  be  metered — those  which  let  the  water  run  to 
save  the  pipes  from  the  effect  of  water  freezing  in  them  ;  and 
this,  the  Commissioner  says,  he  has  no  power  to  stop.  Nor 
has  he  power,  as  he  says,  to  prescribe  the  character,  strength, 
or  position  of  the  plumbing  work.  Hence  without  check  the 
waste  proceeds  which  so  injuriously  affects  the  health  of  the 
occupants  of  houses  and  exposes  property  to  destruction  from 
fire. 

To  remedy  this  a  bill  was  laid  before  the  Assembly  Committee 
on  Cities  of  the  Legislature  at  its  last  session,  which  emanated 
from  the  Municipal  Society,  but  it  did  not  receive  the  support 
of  those  who  wished  to  obtain  power  to  construct  a  new  acme- 
duct,  on  the  ground  that  more  water  was  necessary,  and  the 
bill  did  not  pass. 

This  was  unfortunate,  as  the  stoppage  of  preventable  waste 
would  have  been  immediate  in  its  effects,  and  might  have 
demonstrated  that  an  expensive  aqueduct  in  the  present  con- 
dition of  our  finances  could  be  deferred,  whereas  it  will  take 
five  or  six  years  to  construct  an  aqueduct  from  the  Croton  ; 
and  even  the  small  line  from  the  Bronx  and  Byram  cannot  be 
completed  under  three  or  four  years  ;  the  land  for  it  not  yet 
having  been  procured,  and  the  consent  of  Connecticut  not 
given. 


IO 


An  act  to  stop  this  waste  might  easily  have  been  procured  by 
the  Commissioner  from  the  Legislature  at  any  time,  if  like  efforts 
had  been  made  for  the  purpose  to  those  which  were  made  for 
authority  to  build  aqueducts  ;  but  it  has  been  neglected,  and 
the  waste  has  reached  frightful  proportions.  The  extent  of 
the  power  which  should  be  conferred,  and  the  safeguards 
against  its  improper  exercise,  are  fit  subjects  for  examination 
by  Commissioners.  In  England  an  appeal  is  allowed  to  a 
magistrate  to  settle  disputed  questions. 

Appropriate  remedies  against  waste  should  have  grown  up 
with  the  water  system.  The  long  neglect  of  this  precaution 
has  occasioned  habits,  and  given  rise  to  ideas,  opposed  to  any 
restraint  such  as  render  the  service  of  an  intelligent  Com- 
mission highly  necessary.  If  it  shall  be  shown  that  stopping 
the  waste  will  restore  our  water  system  to  the  condition  which 
Humber  describes,  and  thus  contribute  to  public  advantage  on 
the*  score  not  only  of  health  but  of  safety  from  fires,  the  public 
will  assent  to  the  just  exercise  of  power  to  stop  waste.  J 

6th.  Notwithstanding  the  cracked,  leaky,  and  dangerous  con- 
dition of  the  aqueduct,  and  the  manifest  insufficiency  of  the 
storage  capacity  in  the  city,  the  residents  in  front  of  the  Mur- 
ray Hill  Reservoir  of  whom  Mr.  William  H.  Vanderbilt  was 
one,  applied  for  its  removal.  It  was  built  not  for  them, 
but  for  the  city  below.  The  Commissioner  of  Public  Works 
supported  the  removal,  but  under  a  serious  misapprehension  as 
to  the  condition  of  the  aqueduct,  he  said  in  his  report  for  the 
quarter  ending  June  30th,  1876,  "  Fortunately,  the  good  con- 
dition of  the  existing  aqueduct,  and  its  capacity  amply  to 
supply  the  present  population,  has  been  proven."  It  was  not 
until  after  the  bill  for  removal  had  been  presented  to  the  Legis- 
lature, and  not  passed,  that  Mr.  Campbell,  in  his  quarterly 
reports,  startled  the  community  with  a  statement  of  the  condi- 
tion of  the  aqueduct  and  the  necessity  for  immediate  repairs 
to  make  the  structure  safe. 

The  friends  of  removal  now  shield  themselves  under  the  er- 
roneous opinion  of  Mr.  Campbell  thus  expressed  (he  is  not  an 
Hydraulic  Engineer),  claiming  that  he  alone  is  to  decide  the 
question.  But  no  such  power  has  been  given  to  him.  On  the 
contrary,  he  is  charged  with  no  other  duty  than  that  of  the 
repairs  and  preservation  of  the  reservoir.  The  ground  he 
presents  in  support  of  its  removal  is  that  "it  holds  only 


24,006,000  gallons  (this  being  less  than  one  third  of  a  day's 
supply),  and  is  therefore  unimportant  as  compared  with  the 
larger  storage  capacity  in  the  Central  Park  Reservoirs,  which 
hold  1,250,000,000  gallons  when  full.  This  misconceives  the 
object  of  its  creation,  which  was  distribution,  and  storage  only 
so  far  as  it  accomplished  distribution.  Its  storage  capacity  is, 
however,  600  gallons  for  each  of  40,000  houses.  Its  great 
service  consists  in  this,  that  it  accumulates  in  the  night 
from  the  six  mains  which  press  their  surplus  into  it  a  quan- 
tity of  water  two  miles  nearer  to  those  it  supplies  in  the  en- 
suing morning  than  are  the  Central  Park  Receiving  Reser- 
voirs. All  the  mains  except  the  one  in  First  Avenue  are  united 
with  this  Murray  Hill  Reservoir  by  an  inflow  cross-main  at 
Forty-  second  Street,  and  united  together  in  Thirty-eighth  Street, 
by  an  outflow  cross-main,  so  that  the  equalizing  pressure  of  the 
reservoir  and  mains  may  be  felt  in  the  district  below  which  the 
reservoir  commands.  The  top  of  its  water-line  when  full  is  1 14 
feet  10  inches  above  mean  tide.  The  roof  of  the  University 
Building  being  only  108  feet  above  mean  tide,  the  water  from 
this  reservoir  when  full  can  easily  be  thrown  upon  its  roof.  The 
reservoir  can  be  filled  and  kept  full  if  the  waste  be  stopped, 
and  thus  the  former  condition  and  usefulness  of  the  reservoir 
be  restored.  But  the  service  now  rendered  by  it  every  day  is 
ample  reason  for  holding  on  to  the  structure. 

The  Commissioner  also  supports  its  removal  on  the  ground 
that  mains  have  been  laid  of  sufficient  capacity  to  carry  the 
water  past  it  instead  of  through  it  to  consumers.  He  can,  by 
a  short  connection  of  those  mains  with  the  aqueduct  itself, 
carry  the  whole  flow  of  the  aqueduct  past  instead  of  through 
the  Central  Park  Receiving  Reservoirs  to  consumers.  If  the 
Commissioner  should  suggest  this  as  a  reason  for  dispensing 
with  the  Receiving  Reservoirs  in  the  Park,  the  inapplicability 
of  the  reason  as  one  to  justify  the  removal  of  any  reservoir 
would  be  apparent.  We  should  be  stripped  of  all  our  reser- 
voirs on  the  ground  that  he  could  carry  the  water  which  they 
are  to  hold  and  accumulate  and  distribute,  past  instead  of 
through  them. 

The  Commissioner  also  contends  that  he  can  accomplish  the 
same  advantage  by  the  mains  now  existing  that  he  can  by  the 
mains  and  distributing  reservoir  combined.  The  distance 
from  the  Park  Reservoirs  to  the  Battery  is  nearly  six  miles, 


12 


and  his  theory  amounts  to  this,  that  a  reservoir  between  these 
extreme  points,  holding  when  full  24,000,000  gallons,  into 
which  the  water  is  pouring  all  night  long  from  six  of  the  seven 
city  water  mains,  adds  nothing  to  the  pressure  in  the  mains 
below  when  the  morning's  delivery  commences,  and  that  the 
water  in  the  mains  below  is  as  readily  exhausted  as  if  the  24,000,- 
000  gallons  had  not,  by  the  night's  accumulation,  been  brought 
over  two  miles  nearer  to  consumers.  The  mere  statement  of 
the  position  makes  its  refutation  unnecessary.  The  accumu- 
lated water  held  at  the  half-way  position  is  so  much  added  at 
that  point  to  the  capacity  of  the  mains.  In  case  of  a  fire  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  city,  it  furnishes  an  immediate  supply  two 
miles  nearer  than  are  the  reservoirs  in  Central  Park. 

No  complaint  is  made  that  the  reservoir  on  Murray  Hill 
does  any  harm  in  the  water  system  of  the  city.  It  does  not 
leak  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  in  perfect  order.  It  has  two  walls, 
an  outer  and  an  inner  wall,  with  an  archway  between,  so  that 
persons  entering  it  at  Forty-second  Street  may  walk  entirely 
around  between  its  walls  so  as  to  detect  any  leaks  through  the 
interior  wall.  The  water  which  occasionally  appears  on  the 
outer  wall  is  wholly  from  rain  falling  upon  the  flagged  work 
above,  and  is  hurtful  only  to  those  who  imagine  for  it  a  differ- 
ent source.  No  harm,  therefore,  will  result  from  waiting  for 
the  report  of  intelligent  Commissioners. 

No  one[would  think  of  removing  the  Reservoir  if  it  were  any- 
where else  ;  but  there  is  no  other  corresponding  elevation,  and 
the  structure  was  used  long  before  any  buildings  were  erected 
around  it.  It  was  not  until  the  residents  of  Murray  Hill  ob- 
tained their  supply  of  water  from  the  costly  High  Service  Sys- 
tem— constructed  at  the  expense  of  the  city — that  the  removal 
of  this  Reservoir  was  attempted.  It  is  on  account  of  its  benefit 
to  residents  below  Murray  Hill  that  removal  is  resisted.  They 
insist  that  it  shall  be  retained  until  a  body  of  disinterested 
Commissioners  decide  in  favor  of  removal,  after  a  thorough 
investigation.  The  ground  that  another  intermediate  Reservoir, 
to  take  the  place  of  this,  may  be  constructed  in  some  other  lo- 
cation should  have  no  weight,  as  it  will  take  several  years  to 
build  it.  No  appropriate  location  exists  commanding  the  roofs 
of  houses  below  Murray  Hill. 

The  bill  for  removal  seeks  to  accomplish  it  without  the 
consent  of  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Commonalty,  to  whom 


the  title  was  granted  under  ancient  charters  and  without  the 
consent  of  the  Sinking  Fund  Commissioners,  to  whom  the 
proceeds  of  all  lands  sold  are  pledged  as  security  for  debts. 

This  bill  seeks  to  apply  the  land  to  a  purpose  other. than 
that  for  which  it  has  long  been  used,  and  is  in  derogation 
of  the  rights  of  the  city,  and  ought  to  be  resisted  as  being 
the  assertion  of  legislative  power  kover  all  lands  belonging 
to  the  city,  and  even  the  aqueduct  and  other  reservoirs.  The 
Sinking  Fund  Commissioners  remonstrated  against  its  pas- 
sage on  this  ground,  and  because  the  reservoir  was  a  neces- 
sary part  of  our  water  system.  Their  action  ought  to  be  sus- 
tained. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  law  as  laid  down  in  the  case 
of  Darlington  against  the  Mayor  in  31st  New  York  Reports, 
the  Legislature,  with  a  view  to  afford  a  remedy  to  the  city 
against  its  injustice,  in  1878,  Chap.  383,  §4,  passed  an  act  de- 
claring that,  as  between  the  city  and  the  holders  of  its  bonds 
and  stocks,  the  pledge  of  certain  of  its  revenue  and  funds  as 
security  for  the  payment  of  principal  and  interest  should  be 
deemed  to  be  a  contract — a  position  which  exempts  not  only 
these  revenues  and  funds  from  the  power  of  the  State,  but  also 
the  property  which  produces  them. 

Mr.  Henry  A.  Oakley,  President  of  the  Board  of  Under- 
writers, stated  in  writing  to  the  secretary  of  this  Committee 
that  at  a  meeting  of  insurance  companies  the  most  interested  in 
New  York  risks,  they  unanimously  authorized  him  to  state  that 
they  were  against  the  removal  of  the  Reservoir,  except  it  was 
recommended  by  disinterested  Commissioners  who  had  given 
the  subject  a  thorough  examination. 

The  Association  of  Hotel  Proprietors  also  unanimously  re- 
monstrated against  its  removal,  and  recommended  the  passage 
of  Mr.  Mitchell's  bill  for  the  appointment  of  a  Commission. 

When  the  Croton  was  projected  in  1833-34  as  the  source  of 
supply,  five  Commissioners  were  appointed  under  a  law  of  the 
State  to  consider  and  report  upon  the  subject.    They  were  : 

STEPHEN  ALLEN, 
WILLIAM  W.  FOX, 
SAMUEL  ALLEY, 
CHARLES  DUSENBURY,  and 
BENJAMIN  M.  BROWN.  ' 


14 

And  it  was  on  the  strength  of  their  able  report  in  favor  of  an 
aqueduct  from  the  Croton  River  to  Murray  Hill  that  the  city 
in  1835  voted  in  favor  of  their  plan. 

The  expenditure  now  required  for  a  new  aqueduct  from  the 
same  valley  will  be  much  larger  than  was  supposed  to  be  nec- 
essary then.  The  other  matters  above  stated  all  relate  to  the 
water  system  of  the  city,  and  involve  questions  of  great  im- 
portance— the  most  important  of  any  which  can  arise  in  our 
Municipality — and  if  not  settled  by  Commissioners  to  be  ap- 
pointed under  the  act  in  question,  they  will  be  acted  upon  sev- 
erally and  a  result  arrived  at  in  each  depending  upon  the  influ- 
ence which  persons  interested  in  it  may  be  able  to  exert  at 
Albany  or  over  the  city  authorities,  as  the  case  may  be — a 
situation  not  favorable  to  a  wise  result.  No  expenditure  ought 
to  be  allowed  under  the  peculiar  legislation  of  last  winter,  nor 
should  the  construction  of  an  aqueduct  be  permitted  until 
thoroughly  canvassed  and  understood  by  the  community.  It 
has  been  well  observed  that  an  engineer  who  should  recom- 
mend the  immediate  construction  of  an  aqueduct  might  be 
suspected  of  a  stronger  wish  to  connect  his  fame  with  a  great 
work  than  to  be  governed  by  considerations  of  prudence,  and  if 
he  were  connected  with  either  of  the  political  divisions  of  the 
city,  there  would  be  distrust  of  his  opinions  and  fear  that  he 
would  exercise  his  power  to  aid  his  political  faction.  A  body 
of  disinterested  Commissioners  appointed  by  the  Governor  by 
and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  would  not  excite 
the  suspicions  which  affect  the  confidence  of  the  public,  and 
their  action  would  probably  be  the  means  of  settling  forever 
these  important  questions. 

They  therefore  recommend  the  following  resolutions  : 

Resolved,  That  the  Murray  Hill  Reservoir  ought  not  to  be  re- 
moved until  a  Commission  of  disinterested  persons  shall,  after 
thorough  investigation,  recommend  such  removal. 

Resolved,  That  the  bill  for  the  appointment  of  Commission- 
ers introduced  into  the  Assembly  by  Mr.  Mitchell  ought,  in 
the  judgment  of  the  Club,  to  pass. 

DORMAN  B.  EATON,  Chairman. 

\  The  report  was  accepted,  the  resolutions  were  adopted  at 
the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Club,  held  February  12th,  1880, 
the  Hon.  Hamilton  Fish  presiding,  and  it  was  ordered  that  the 
report  and  resolutions  be  furnished  to  the  press  for  publication. 


